In Times of Disaster, Stay with ROGER

Responding in times of disasters entails a lot of preparation. However, there are unavailable circumstances that might hinder faster and smoother response.

In my previous coverage, both the officials from the Department of Health (DOH) and Red Cross have mentioned they have encountered problems with communication lines when they were helping Yolanda-affected areas.

To avoid such scenario, the Department of Science and Technology, in partnership with UP Diliman’s Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (UPD-EEEI), developed the Project ROGER (Robust and Rapidly Deployable GSM Base Station and Backhaul for Emergency Response network).

It is a deployable GSM voice and SMS emergency network service that works when regular communication lines are unavailable, particularly after a disaster.

The idea was actually based from what the country has experienced from typhoon Yolanda. Indeed, the typhoon has hampered rescue and relief operations both by the government and other sectors.

ROGER uses three 200ampere batteries connected to 100 watts solar panel.

ROGER will enable local government first responders to communicate rescue and relief efforts to the central command center through a dedicated Base GSM Transceiver Station. This station, meanwhile, will provide mobile signal through a cellular tower and is backhauled or leveraged by a long range Wi-Fi access point to strengthen cellular signals up to the local government unit base command.

According to DOST, local government officials, including City and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Offices, are issued a standard sim cards to be used as a dedicated network line during emergency. The said line will be used by the LGUs during disaster response efforts and when all communication networks are down with no alternative means of communication.

The agency added that Project ROGER will soon be rolled-out in various areas where communication lines are limited during extreme typhoons.

Meanwhile, engineers from the UPD-EEEI made a pilot-testing in three barangays in Mercedes, Camarines Norte to determine ROGER’s capability during real situations.They set-up a 15 meter cellular tower with parabolic antenna, which emits sector signals or the type of directional microwave antenna with a sector-shaped radiation pattern. The cellular tower, along with its antenna, was set-up after a typhoon and when there are no available communication networks in the area.

During the pilot-test, ROGER had a maximum of up to seven pairings of mobile phone to keep the network efficiently working. The network has call and text capabilities with unlimited SMS. (PNA) CTB/MCCA/EDS